Newswise — A device that allows the blind to ―see via electrical pulses applied to the tongue…a collagen scaffold to treat damaged joints…a new vaccine to prevent shingles…an artificial lung that provides patients with both mobility and comfort during treatment…a program that vastly improves literacy among middle and high-school age students…a device that transforms wheelchairs into all-terrain vehicles…a vaccine to prevent HPV…
These are just a few of the discoveries featured in the 2010 edition of the AUTM Better World Report, a collection of stories about technologies that originated in academic research and were brought to the public through technology transfer, the process of licensing and commercializing academic research so it can become real products that make the world a healthier and safer place.
"Technology transfer fosters economic growth, new companies and new jobs, but equally important are the new technologies that improve quality of life for us all," says AUTM President Ashley J. Stevens, D. Phil. (Oxon), CLP. "Some of these products serve large numbers of people, have substantial revenues and return significant royalties to the inventing institution, while others are relevant to only a few people and have only modest sales, but technology transfer professionals regard all of these stories as major successes because they improve people’s quality of life," adds Stevens.
The 2010 Better World Report is part of AUTM’s Better World Project — an endeavor that promotes public understanding of how academic research and technology transfer benefits millions of people around the world. The 2010 edition celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act and includes a foreword by the Act’s co-author, Sen. Birch Bayh.
"The United States has become an innovation powerhouse in part because of the Bayh-Dole Act," says AUTM Executive Director Vicki Loise. "The Act has provided a substantial return on our nation’s investment in basic science, and we are thrilled to present 30 real-world examples in the 2010 Better World Report — one for each year of this inspired legislation," adds Loise.
For more information about AUTM and the Better World Project visit www.betterworldproject.net.
About AUTMThe Association of University Technology Managers is a nonprofit organization with an international membership of more than 3,000 technology managers and business executives. AUTM members — managers of intellectual property, one of the most active growth sectors of the global economy —come from more than 300 universities, research institutions and teaching hospitals as well as numerous businesses and government organizations.
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